Toddler could lose sight after magpie attack

Jacob Gale may lose sight in his right eye after a magpie attacked him. Picture: Seven News.Source:PerthNow

A YOUNG boy could lose vision in his left eye after being injured in a magpie attack near Whiteman Park.

Jacob Gale, 1, was walking across a grassed area with his family on his way to a miniature train day at the park on Sunday when the bird swooped.

Father Adam Gale said his son was just a few metres away when the bird hovered near his head without warning and then started to flap.

“The magpie flew in right near his head and I could see it near his face and eyes,” Mr Gale said.

“It kind of hovered there and then flapped its wings and Jacob screamed and my wife screamed and it flew away.

“When I picked him up he was crying and very distressed. I did a quick assessment and I could see there was a red hole or puncture on his eyelid.”

Mr Gale said they quickly rushed Jacob to a nearby first aid post but on closer inspection he realised his son’s injury was far more serious.

“As we sat him down I forced his eye open because he was trying to keep it shut and I could see the discolouration in the white of his eye,” he said.

“At that stage I wasn’t calm any more. I had to walk away and I was quite angry and I though he might lose his eye. I knew we had to get him to hospital.”

Jacob was rushed to Princess Margaret Hospital were he saw an eye specialist and prepared for emergency surgery.

“He had a laceration to his cornea and a penetrating eye injury,” Mr Gale said.

“They had hoped that it hadn’t damaged the lens which is in much deeper and quite critical for your vision.”

“The surgery took two hours and we were pretty worried. It had actually torn part of his iris which is the part of the eye that helps adjusts the light and it has penetrated the lens and they had to remove the lens.”

Mr Gale said they would likely know if Jacob will keep his eye in the next 24-hours but whether his full vision will return might not be known for several days.